Tying shoelaces is generally a two-step process. First, the laces are tied tightly into a crossover knot that is meant to hold down the tongue of the shoe and hold the laces threaded through the shoe tightly. Second, the shoe wearer will generally form a loop with each lace and tie those loops together on top of the first crossover knot, to make a bow-type knot. There are, of course, other methods known for tying a bow-type knot, but they have at least one thing in common: tying the knot securely is a two-step process. The crossover knot must first be secured, and then the bows for the bow-type knot must be tied together. Certain segments of the population, including young children, the elderly, and individuals with certain disabilities often have problems learning and/or performing these steps satisfactorily.
A common difficulty encountered by children is that their shoelaces are not tied tightly enough, so they come undone unintentionally. Shoelace knots that are tied too loosely can result in injury. Children's feet can slip out of their shoes because their shoelaces are not tied tight enough, or loose shoelace knots could come completely undone and increase the likelihood that a child will trip over the untied laces.
The genesis of these problems is oftentimes a crossover knot that is too loose. In the process of tying a shoe, sometimes the crossover knot comes loose or undone while the shoe wearer is trying to complete the second, bow-type knot.
A class of technology exists which contains devices for securely holding laces already tied in a bow-type knot. These devices secure the finished bow-type knot so that the laces do not come undone until the wearer removes the device—i.e., they are designed to secure a bow-type knot after it is securely tied in the first place. These devices, however, are not designed or concerned with ensuring that the crossover knot is created correctly and tied tightly in the first place. None of the devices known to the applicants assist with tying the first, crucial crossover knot properly, or keeping that knot securely tied until the shoe wearer has successfully made the bows and tied the bow-type knot over the crossover knot.
Thus, there is a clear need for a device which can assist children and others in tying their shoelace knots properly, so that their shoelaces are tied firmly around their feet and their shoelace knots are tight.